FAU Among Most Ethnically Diverse Universities

For the second year in a row, U.S. News and World Report has included Florida Atlantic University on the list of the most ethnically diverse universities in the United States.

The publication notes that the institution’s “diversity index” score of .69 (out of 1.0) tied with six other institutions, including Harvard University and the University of Southern California. No other public university in Florida appeared on the list.

According to U.S. News, Hispanic students make up FAU’s largest minority population, listed as 27 percent. The university received federal designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the United States Department of Education in 2017.

“We are very proud to have the most racially and culturally diverse student body in Florida’s State University System,” said FAU President John Kelly. “More than half of our students are members of minority groups or have come to us from abroad, creating a richly varied college community that offers great benefits to everyone.”

FAU has a long history as an ethnically diverse university. Consistently, DIVERSE: Issues in Higher Education ranks the institution as a Top 100 provider of undergraduate and graduate degrees to minorities. Over the past several years, six-year graduation rates for black and Hispanic students have been higher than the overall graduation rates for the university.